Removing alcohol from liquors.



'Patented De.11,1917.

R. H4. PFLUGFELDEB. -REMOVING ALCOHOL FROM LIOUORS.

APPucATmM FILED MAY 29. |911.

i im ull.

ROBERT H. rrLUerELDEn, or cnrcaao, ILLINOIS.

manovrare `ALconoI.snor/I mations.

iaaaaso.

To all whom t may concern:

4Be it known that I, rELDnR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing atChicago, in the county -of Cook and State of Illinois, have yinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in" Removing Al-` l cohol fromLiquors, of which the following isa specification.

` My invention relates toa process-and apparatus for removing alcoholfrom liquors and has for its primary obJect the provision whereby theliquor, after having the alcohol removed, 'shall remainl free frommthewell known burnt taste commonly found in de steam or other equal heatmedia are eme ployed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a section taken substantially on line 1-1 ofFig. 3; Y

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Reference numeral 10 indicates the body portion of a large tankpreferably rectangular in cross-section, provided with a cone shapedcover 11 secured to the tank by a fluid tight joint and communicating atits top with the pump, generally indicated at 12, for withdrawingvaporized alcohol from the tank.

Secured within the tank are a plurality of superposed downwardlyslanting brackets 13 each of which supports a coil of hot water pipes14, alternate brackets being oppositely slanted, and all of the bracketsterminating short of the opposite wall from that to which they arefastened.

As best illustrated in Fig. 2, the apparatus is provided preferably withtwo circulating coils. I-Iot water enters the coils from a hot watermain 15 and is discharged through a heat exhaust pipe 16. The main 15carries a branch 17 which feeds hot water' `Speciti-cation of LettersPatent.l i Patjmtdl Dljl, 1917 Applcton filed May`29, 1917- Selal Nl).171,750.

. vto the upper coil-1S andra lower branch 19 ROBERT H. Prune-vwhichfeedshotlwater to the lower coil 21.

Theexhaust pipe 16 has an upper branch 22 y liquor from oneto another ina zigzag course downwardly through the tank, as best seen inFig.11,eachof these pans being upturned of an `improved vprocess and apparatus` 1at its higher endas at 25 and down turned at its' lower end as at 26,the slant of the pans being such as to cause liquor delivered to theuppermost pan through a delivery pipey 27 to trickle slowly over thepans 24;. From the lower pan 211 the de-alcoholized liquor drops to thebottom of the tank, where it collects in a body, indicated at 28, and isdrawn 0H at suitable intervals through a discharge pipe 29, by means ofany suitable pump 31. The delivery pipe 27 is as long as the breadth ofthe pans 24: and is apertured at spaced intervals as at 32 to providefor delivery liquor across the whole width of the pan. Prefer-ably thepans have an area somewhat less than the cross-sectional area of thetank 10, in order to provide room on three sides between the edge of thepan and the wall of the tank for the operator to pass about theapparatus in cleaning it. Entrance into the tank is had through anysuitable manhole provided with a door 34C clamped into position in anysuitable manner, as, for instance, by means of the yoke 35 and bolt 36.

In the operation of my invention hot water, preferably at a temperatureo-f 135 degrees Fahrenheit or thereabouts, is passed through the pipes141 of the coils 18 and 21 and caused to flow continually therethrough.Beer, or any other alcoholic liquor, is now fed onto the upper pan 24:through the apertures 32 of feed pipe 27. The liquor flows down theheated pans in section and finally drops from the lowest one to thebottom of the tank, whence it may be drawn off by the pump 31. The lowinclination of the pans 24 causes the liquor to travel slowly over theheated pans and a sufficient number of pans are provided to make thepath of travel of the liquor sufficiently long to vaporize all thealcohol. The vaporized alcohol is drawn off from the top of the cover 11by means of the pump 12. By employing wateratsubstantially 135 degreestemperature I accomplish the removal of the alcohol from the liquorwhile leaving the resulting liquor' free from any taste of steam, andthe low temperature at which the alcohol .n ,amountnof fuel Aeededinasmuch asno steam pressureisrequired.

While I have illustratedand described the preferred embodiment of myinvention,

f' gitwill be obviousthat one skilled in the art kmaymake-modificationsthereof without dei parting from the vspirit of theinvention. `I

wish, therefore,l not to be restricted to the .precise embodiment'shownexcept in so far as the saine islimited in the appended claims. v ,Y1,1'I`her tank 10. is air tight and the interior Copies of this patientmay he obtained lfor ye cents each, by i washington, n. c."

pressure iskept below. atmospheric pressure by pump v12. vIn this waythe alcohol is evaporated from thebeer at a temperature' kless than thatrequired under full atmosis removed greatly reduces Vthe pheric pressureso that conservation of fuel iand rapid operation result.

opposite to that from which it is supported,

heating` pipes traversing said brackets, and pans disposed upon saidpipes, said pans being adapted to carry a stream of liquor and deliverthe same from one pan to the next, the pans being of ysomewhat less areathan the cross-sectional area of the tank.

VIn testimony whereof I have aiixed my signature.

ROBERT H. PFLGFELDER.

addressing the Commissioner of VPatents,

